You tell me it's the institution. Well, you know, you'd better free you mind instead. But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow. Don't you know it's gonna be all right?
— MBE (1940-1980)
John Lennon was an English musician, songwriter and activist who gained global fame as founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. His songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in history.
Born in Liverpool, he was drawn into the skiffle craze as a teenager and in 1956 formed the Quarrymen, which became the Beatles in 1960. In the mid-1960s he wrote In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works, collections of nonsense writing and line drawings. Starting with "All You Need Is Love" in 1967, his songs were adopted as anthems by the counterculture and anti-war movement. In 1969 he formed the Plastic Ono Band with his second wife, the artist Yoko Ono, and staged the bed-in for peace. Beatles Lyrics is his most quoted work in our library.
Born in Liverpool, he was drawn into the skiffle craze as a teenager and in 1956 formed the Quarrymen, which became the Beatles in 1960. In the mid-1960s he wrote In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works, collections of nonsense writing and line drawings. Starting with "All You Need Is Love" in 1967, his songs were adopted as anthems by the counterculture and anti-war movement. In 1969 he formed the Plastic Ono Band with his second wife, the artist Yoko Ono, and staged the bed-in for peace. Beatles Lyrics is his most quoted work in our library.
Most quoted works
- Beatles Lyrics 2
The sun is up, the sky is blue / It's beautiful, and so are you
— Beatles Lyrics
Imagine there's no countries / It isn't hard to do / Nothing to kill or die for / And no religion too / Imagine all the people / Living life in peace / You may say that I'm a dreamer / But I'm not the only oneI hope someday you'll join us / And the world will be as one
— Imagine
Nothing is real.
— Beatles Lyrics
If someone thinks that peace and love are just a cliche that must have been left behind in the 60s, that's a problem. Peace and love are eternal.
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns it calls me on and on across the universe.
Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear.
I was feeling insecure you might not love me anymore
The more I see, the less I know for sure.
There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be...
Part of me suspects that I'm a loser, and the other part of me thinks I'm God Almighty.
And so this is Christmas...what have you done?